What read receipts do and why you might want them
Read receipts are a notification that tells you when someone has opened and read your message. When you turn them on, the person messaging you will see a small indicator — usually a checkmark, timestamp, or "read" label — showing that you opened their message and saw it.
The main reason to turn them on is honesty. If someone sends you a message and you read it but don't respond right away, they know you saw it. Without read receipts, they might wonder if the message got through at all, or if you're ignoring them. With them on, there's no ambiguity.
The trade-off is privacy. When read receipts are on, other people know exactly when you read their messages — not just that you read them, but the time you read them. That information can feel intrusive, especially if you're messaging someone you don't fully trust, or if you want to think before responding without someone knowing you've already seen their message.
Key Takeaways
- Read receipts show the person messaging you that you have opened and read their message, usually with a timestamp or checkmark.
- Turning them on is honest but removes your ability to read a message privately without the sender knowing.
- Most messaging apps let you turn read receipts on or off in settings, and you can usually control them per conversation or globally.
- Some apps let you turn read receipts on for certain people and off for others, giving you control over who sees when you read their messages.
- Read receipts do not show what you do with a message after you read it — only that you opened it.
How to turn on read receipts in the most common apps
iMessage (Apple): Open Settings, tap Messages, scroll down, and toggle "Send Read Receipts" on. This applies to all your iMessage conversations. You can also turn it on or off for a single conversation by opening the thread, tapping the person's name at the top, and toggling "Send Read Receipts."
WhatsApp: Open the app, tap Settings (or the menu icon on Android), go to Account, then Privacy. Toggle "Read Receipts" on. This applies to all conversations. WhatsApp does not let you turn read receipts on for some people and off for others — it's all or nothing.
Facebook Messenger: Open the app, tap your profile icon, scroll to Preferences, tap Receipts, and toggle "Read Receipts" on. You can also turn them off for a single conversation by opening the chat, tapping the person's name, and toggling the option there.
Gmail: Open Gmail, click the Settings gear icon, go to Settings, then scroll to "Smart Compose & Smart Reply." Under "Read receipts," check the box. This only works if the person you're emailing also has read receipts turned on, and it only shows whether they opened the email, not when.
The difference between read receipts and typing indicators
Read receipts and typing indicators are two separate things, and they work differently. A typing indicator is the dot or text that shows someone is currently writing a message — you see it in real time while they're typing. A read receipt shows up after they've finished reading a message you already sent.
You can usually turn typing indicators on and off separately from read receipts. In WhatsApp, for example, you can turn off read receipts but keep typing indicators on, or vice versa. The same is true in most other apps. If you want to hide that you're reading messages but don't mind showing that you're typing, you can do that.
Why someone might turn read receipts off
Some people turn read receipts off because they want to read messages without the pressure to respond when ready. If your boss or a family member knows you read their message, they might expect a reply within minutes. Without read receipts, you can read something, think about it, and respond when you're ready without anyone knowing you've already seen it.
Others turn them off for privacy reasons. Read receipts create a record of when you were looking at your phone and paying attention to a specific person. Over time, that data can reveal patterns about your habits and availability. If you're in a situation where you want to keep your attention and movements private, turning read receipts off is one way to do that.
Some people also turn them off because they find the social pressure uncomfortable. If someone sees you read their message and you don't respond, they might feel rejected or ignored, even if you're just busy. Turning read receipts off removes that awkwardness.
What read receipts do not show
Read receipts only tell you that someone opened a message. They do not tell you whether the person actually understood it, agreed with it, or will act on it. Someone can read your message and when ready forget it, or read it and disagree with every word. The receipt just means they saw it.
Read receipts also do not show how long someone spent reading a message, whether they re-read it, or whether they showed it to someone else. They do not track whether the person took a screenshot, copied the text, or forwarded it. They only show the moment the message was opened.
On most platforms, read receipts also do not work across different devices. If you have iMessage on your phone and your Mac, and someone sends you a message, the read receipt might fire when you open it on your phone but not show up for the person if you read it on your Mac first. The behavior varies by app.
How to turn read receipts off if you change your mind
Turning read receipts off is the reverse of turning them on. In iMessage, go back to Settings > Messages and toggle "Send Read Receipts" off. In WhatsApp, go to Settings > Account > Privacy and toggle "Read Receipts" off. In Facebook Messenger, go to Settings > Preferences > Receipts and toggle "Read Receipts" off.
If you turn read receipts off, people will no longer see when you read their messages going forward. However, they will still see the read receipts for messages you read before you turned the setting off. Turning it off does not erase the history — it only stops new receipts from being sent.
Some apps also let you turn read receipts off for a single person while keeping them on for everyone else. In iMessage and Facebook Messenger, you can do this by opening a specific conversation and toggling the setting for just that thread. This is useful if you want to be transparent with most people but need privacy with one person.
Read receipts and group conversations
In group chats, read receipts work the same way as in one-on-one conversations — when you open a message, everyone in the group sees that you read it. However, the display is usually different. Instead of a single checkmark or timestamp, you'll see a list of who has read the message and when, or a series of small profile pictures showing who has seen it.
In iMessage group chats, you'll see each person's name with a "Delivered" or "Read" label next to it. In WhatsApp groups, you'll see two gray checkmarks when a message is delivered to the group and two blue checkmarks when everyone has read it. In Facebook Messenger, you'll see small profile pictures of people who have seen the message.
If you turn read receipts off, your name will not appear in the "read" list in group chats. Other people will still see that the message was delivered, but they won't know whether you've read it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I turn read receipts on for some people and off for others?
It depends on the app. iMessage and Facebook Messenger let you turn read receipts on or off for individual conversations, so you can have them on for your close friends and off for your boss. WhatsApp does not offer this option — it's a global setting that applies to everyone. Check your app's settings to see what level of control you have.
If I turn off read receipts, will people know I'm hiding them?
No. If you turn read receipts off, people will straightforward not see a read receipt when you open their messages. They won't get a notification saying "this person has read receipts turned off." They'll just notice over time that you never show read receipts, the same way you might notice if someone never responds to messages quickly.
Do read receipts work if someone has me blocked?
No. If someone has blocked you, your messages won't be delivered to them at all, so there's no read receipt to send. You'll usually see a message saying the text failed to send or was not delivered.
Can I see read receipts if I'm using an older version of an app?
Usually yes, but it depends on the app and how old your version is. Most apps are designed so that newer and older versions can still see each other's read receipts. However, if your app is very outdated, you might not see read receipts even if the other person has them turned on. Updating your app to the latest version will fix this.
What happens to read receipts if I delete a conversation?
Deleting a conversation removes it from your phone, but it does not erase the read receipts you've already sent. The other person will still see that you read their messages. If you want to prevent future read receipts from being sent to that person, you need to turn read receipts off before deleting the conversation.